It has taken the best part of a year, but from today Microsoft fans can talk to Cortana through the vaguely creepy ears of Amazon’s Echo devices and vice versa.
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Originally announced last August, with a tentative delivery date towards the end of last …

Reduced usefulness

Microsoft says: "it makes sense that people would rely on two digital assistants to stay on top of their home and work lives — but also want the two of them to work together at times."

How does that make sense? I thought the only real selling point for one of these spy systems was that it is a "one stop shop" for things you want to do. Now it's a "two or more stop shop"? What's the point of that?

re:what do you find interesting about it?

I can't speak for the OP (obv) - but I'd wager that although the two assistants are supposed to complement each other, there would likely be competition and this might improve the operation of both (from a ML perspective). I doubt it will be interesting, but it could be...

At Doctor Syntax, re: the e-word.

Bah. Humbug.

I have several Apple devices. I have turned Siri off on all iOS devices and have physically deleted the Siri app from all macOS devices. (I had to disable certain 'security' features to do that, but I was going to disable them anyway because my idea of security and Apple's idea of security seem to have diverged quite some time ago.)

I have several Windows devices running Win 10. I have deleted Cortana from all such devices, and it was a pain doing it, and I have to do it again every time there's a major 'update'. (Here's how to delete: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3109900/software/you-can-remove-cortana-from-windows-10-but-its-tricky.html)

Magnum, P.I.

Reboot of classic TV series with Tom Selleck reprising his role as Thomas Magnum, the Ferrari 308 replaced by a Tesla Roadster. (English National Treasure) Stephen Fry takes the role of Higgins with the Robin Estate under full surveillance and control from his trusty iPhone with the assistance of Alexa and Cortana, making Zeus and Apollo redundant.

"Robin Masters" is an A.I. system programmed to create work of fiction in the style of the "real" Robin Masters by Higgins/Fry. Robin Masters having been eaten by a shark whilst swimming.

"to leverage the Echo’s impressive ....."

Nope... just nope.

Microsoft bravely suggests that just as users need different people to service cars or offer financial advice, they could use two different digital assistants to manage work and home, while also needing them to collaborate.

Different people to service a car? Financial advice? Nope... one mechanic for car and one finance type for advice, etc. and I trust both the guys I use one helluva lot more than I'd trust Amazon or MS. So why the hell to would anyone want two invasive pieces of crap in their house and talking to each other unless it's to the financial advantage of the suppling companies.

Re: Nope... just nope.

Microsoft bravely suggests that just as users need different people to service cars or offer financial advice, they could use two different digital assistants to manage work and home, while also needing them to collaborate.

Microsoft doesn't seem to understand that the word 'collaborate' has two meanings.

My poor father-in-law was given an Amazon speaker thingie for Christmas by some subset of his loving but lost-for-present-dead daughters last year. It is without any doubt the most gratuitous piece of pointless, overpriced, shite that it has ever been my misfortune to encounter

It has once given me cause to smile, though:

Me: Alexa, how many beans make five?

Alexa: If you plant them carefully you can get more than five beans by planting one bean.

... and there I was expecting some stock answer like "two in each hand and one in your mouth" ... but, of course, Alexa doesn't have hands or a mouth. We anthropomorphize these things too readily and we really shouldn't.

Who actually asked for this? Litterally no one. You can bet that Amazon will only see this as another channel to their store, and to get Alexa on yet more devices - for pretty much nothing. Microsoft on the other hand are fighting to stay relevant, so they probably see it as an AI lifeline. In reality, MS are Amazon's bitch, and Amazon have MS bent over a table and are giving it the whole cowboy thing from behind.